Good accounts make good friends? Gérard Collomb drops a small bomb during an interview with Lyon Décideurs. At least if we give credit to the words of the former mayor of Lyon. This is a meeting between Lyon and Montpellier, during the 37th day of Ligue 1 cuvée 2002-03. Mr. Collomb said: “Jean-Michel Aulas and the president of Montpellier Louis Nicollin had agreed that we were going to draw. At the half hour mark it was 1–1 and the Lyonnais never crossed the halfway line again afterwards. Ten minutes from the end of the game, I remember Juninho hitting the post while shooting from his own half. In the stands, Jean-Michel was mad with rage. He immediately wanted to get him out of the field. Three minutes later Juninho was on the bench,” he said.
In this case, OL were fighting for the title while the MHSC were fighting for their survival in the top flight. Before the 37th day, Lyon was leading the Ligue 1 standings with 67 points and 25 goal difference, ahead of Monaco (64 pts, 29) and OM (62.4), while the Hérault club, 14th, was three points ahead of the first two relegated, Rennes and Sedan (39 points against 36). After this 37th trick, OL had a three-point lead and a largely favorable goal difference ahead of… OM (68 pts against 65, 25 against 6), knowing that ASM had lost, and MHSC had a a three-point lead over Rennes, the only relegated first (40 against 37).
The Gones also finished champions while the Pailladins finally ensured their maintenance on the final day. And this while the two clubs lost in their last outing of the season. But with a win on Matchday 37, they wouldn’t have had to wait for Matchday 38. The draw between Lyon and Montpellier was therefore effectively the business of the two clubs, in particular OL, virtually champions on the evening of the 37th day with goal difference, while the Montpellier residents still had fears.
In any case, the reactions were not long in coming. OL player at the time, Sidney Govou does not go out of his way in comments reported by So Foot: “This gentleman is sick, he is stupid. At 1-1, obviously that suited both teams, so we didn’t necessarily need to play. But it’s not called “match rigging”, you have to stop talking nonsense. Just look at all the matches at the end of the championship, and there are some where the result suits both teams, so nothing happens, because nobody wants to expose themselves. We, if we lost, we were not champions, if Montpellier lost, they went down, ”judges the ex-star of Les Gones.
Joined by Eurosport, two former Montpellier players agree. “It’s archi-false, loose Habib Bamogo. I remember that game very well. We players have never heard of that. Neither Gérard Bernardet (MHSC coach), nor any assistant, told us to slow down. We played hard. Lyon had possession and it was logical. Cédric Barbosa confirms: “I remember that in the second half, we often asked for the results in the other stadiums. As they were favorable to us, one point was enough for us. I can guarantee that on the pitch, there was never any question of anything. We were never told anything. Today, it makes me smile to hear that. We won our maintenance on the ground, we fought like ragpickers. Pschit?
